The last time James Swain coached the Hawthorne football team, the Cougars were in the midst of a 42-game losing streak that was drawing national attention.

The prized Mayor’s Cup was accumulating dust at rival Leuzinger. The Cougars had become a punchline that wasn’t so funny.

Times are different now.

Swain’s replacement, Joseph Kanach, brought some respectability back to the program, ending several inglorious streaks while elevating Hawthorne to think bigger.

The Streak is gone, stopped at 45 games. The Mayor’s Cup is back in its grasp for the first time since 2001. And pride has been somewhat restored at Hawthorne.

It’s by no means a return to the glory days under Dan Robbins, but Swain said he wants to keep the positive vibes going.

“It’s a fresh start, and the kids have to continue to buy in,” said Swain, in his fourth stint as Hawthorne coach. “At first, they weren’t buying in with me. Finally, some of the lightbulbs are starting to come on.

“They know they need to take ownership of the program. It’s not about what it can do for them. They have to represent the program.”

Swain said he has learned several lessons from his previous stints, mainly about his approach and about scheduling.

Previously Swain had also served as the school’s athletic director. He said he felt he was fighting two different fronts.

Now boys soccer coach Yuri Najarro can fight on one front as the new athletic director while Swain can focus on football.

“I didn’t think we had a lot of support in terms of some of the problems in the district, and I was worried about trying to fix everything,” Swain said. “As the A.D., you worry about the financial part.

“Now it’s just football. I realize there are some things I can’t fix.”

The schedule is also much kinder for Hawthorne than some of the back-breaking schedules Swain and the previous coaches set up.

Instead of Pac-5 Division foes like Lakewood or Mission Viejo, the schedule is laden South Bay programs like Torrance, Lawndale and Gardena.

“There’s some people who actually wanted to schedule us now,” Swain said. “They know we’re not a pushover anymore. Before they thought they’d get an easy `W,’ but we’ve gained some respect back. Not that anyone’s scared of us, but they know it’s a good game.”

Swain is already leaving his mark.

With a strong track background, he is turning to Ocean League 100-meter champion Xavier Clark to be a difference-maker. Swain has Clark at quarterback, putting the ball in the hands of his best playmaker on every snap.

“He told me he never really played much quarterback before, but I told him I wasn’t asking him to throw for 4,000 yards,” Swain said. “This is kind of like Curtis Conway. He’s the fastest guy at the school.

“I want the play to start with him.”

Swain said he knows he will be under close scrutiny. After all, Swain is already a favorite target of disgruntled alumni on message boards and Facebook pages.

Indeed, Swain seems to be embracing his role as a villain.

“In the social media, there are probably some alumni who blame me for the program’s struggles or even doubt me,” Swain said. “If they want to blame me, fine.

“But to the alumni, I say this: Why are all your brothers, nephews and cousins playing at Mira Costa or Serra or North Torrance? How can they blame me when they’ve turned their backs on the program?

“I know the situation I’ve got here. I’ll take the kids I have, teach them to be good people and teach them how to win.”

Culver City appears to be the Ocean League favorite after making an impressive march through the CIF Southern Section Western Division playoffs. Defending champion Santa Monica will be tough, and Inglewood can never be counted out.

But Swain is hoping Hawthorne can take it to the next level and break into the top three to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Swain wants to continue the progression.

“Before we were driven by The Streak, but now we’re driven by making the playoffs,” Swain said. “We’re talking about it. We’re not shying away from it. It’s a daunting task. But sometimes you need to aim high.”

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